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Thread: What to Buy for Film Processing

  1. #11

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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    It is my opinion that Rodinal is a "convenience developer", and isn't necessarily the developer of choice if subtle tonality is your desire. Rodinal is fine for some things, but it tends to produce negatives of a fairly harsh quality. YMMV of course.

  2. #12

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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    Quote Originally Posted by Two23 View Post
    So far I'm leaning towards Rodinal & the SP445, plus trays for plates and 5x7. I have been simply scanning negs on a v700 and processing in PS. I have a dandy spot in my basement for a dark room, but that's a project for after I retire. I want to get started getting experience processing first. The Ilford kit looks great but I'm holding off starting with roll film until later.

    Do you know that both the CombiPlan 45 and the 57 takes both sheet film and glass plates and, except for film loading, are daylight?
    Kent in SD

  3. #13
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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    OP asked for suggestions not negations...

    Quote Originally Posted by paulbarden View Post
    It is my opinion that Rodinal is a "convenience developer", and isn't necessarily the developer of choice if subtle tonality is your desire. Rodinal is fine for some things, but it tends to produce negatives of a fairly harsh quality. YMMV of course.
    Tin Can

  4. #14
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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    Rodinal is my developer of choice. It gives fairly fine but very defined grain, making crisp prints. Of course, if grain is not your thing, you probably won't like Rodinal.

  5. #15
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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    Quote Originally Posted by paulbarden View Post
    It is my opinion that Rodinal is a "convenience developer", and isn't necessarily the developer of choice if subtle tonality is your desire. Rodinal is fine for some things, but it tends to produce negatives of a fairly harsh quality. YMMV of course.
    I agree with Paul - I have been using Rodinal for a couple years but am not terribly thrilled how my Ilford 4X5 and 5X7 films come out - but - I will use it up. I hate how my 35mm Ilford films look when processed in Rodinal, but I don't shoot a lot of 35mm anymore.
    I prefer HC-110 (for economy and results) but a couple years ago it seemed the price went up due to hazmat fee or some such thing, so I purchased the Rodinal instead.
    My dry plates come out just fine in the Rodinal.

    FWIW, I process all my sheet films / plates in trays in my bathtub, and have done that for years, since I don't have a darkroom right now. I can comfortably process 10-12 sheets of 4X5 at a time in 8X10 trays, and any minor scratch I get just adds to that "vintage look" you desire

    I have not used an acidic stop-bath in the past 30 years, I just use water.

    For final wash, I just soak the film in water for about 30 minutes, dumping for fresh water about every 5 minutes and shuffling thru the stack of negs every 5 minutes as well. That has been my procedure for many years as well.
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52893762/bigger4b.jpg

  6. #16

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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Moe View Post
    OP asked for suggestions not negations...
    Of course! And it is my suggestion that to get better-than-OK results, he would be wise to choose something other than Rodinal :-)

  7. #17
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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing



    Quote Originally Posted by paulbarden View Post
    Of course! And it is my suggestion that to get better-than-OK results, he would be wise to choose something other than Rodinal :-)
    Tin Can

  8. #18
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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    OK, HC-110 for both plates & film, SP-445 tank (Combiplan 57 if I ever see one come up for sale,) photo flo, eventually three 8x10 trays (to process plates and 5x7,) tf4 fixer, water stop bath (distilled for final rinse,) thermometer, tongs, graduate cylinder for measuring, and that should do it? I'm thinking of ordering from Blue Moon. Will try to snag used trays from ebay.

    I've been using vintage lenses (1845-1862, 1900-1925) for the plates and often for film. Lately I've been using modern lenses (Nikon 90mm f4.5, Rodenstock 135mm f5.6, Fujinon 180mm f5.6, Rodenstock 300mm f9) with the FP4 & HP5. Have also been shooting some Portra 400 since I saw Sanderson's color photos. Mostly I am after a more classic, vintage look, but the batch of photos I took with the modern lenses on FP4 look quite good! Will post a few later.


    Kent in SD
    In contento ed allegria
    Notte e di vogliam passar!

  9. #19
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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    Cough syrup cups to measure developer concentrate, clothes pins to hang the film up to dry, printfile pages or other archival organizers to store negatives.

  10. #20

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    Re: What to Buy for Film Processing

    Quote Originally Posted by Two23 View Post
    OK, HC-110 for both plates & film, SP-445 tank (Combiplan 57 if I ever see one come up for sale,) photo flo, eventually three 8x10 trays (to process plates and 5x7,) tf4 fixer, water stop bath (distilled for final rinse,) thermometer, tongs, graduate cylinder for measuring, and that should do it? I'm thinking of ordering from Blue Moon. Will try to snag used trays from ebay.

    I've been using vintage lenses (1845-1862, 1900-1925) for the plates and often for film. Lately I've been using modern lenses (Nikon 90mm f4.5, Rodenstock 135mm f5.6, Fujinon 180mm f5.6, Rodenstock 300mm f9) with the FP4 & HP5. Have also been shooting some Portra 400 since I saw Sanderson's color photos. Mostly I am after a more classic, vintage look, but the batch of photos I took with the modern lenses on FP4 look quite good! Will post a few later.


    Kent in SD
    Sounds like you have a plan. I don't have the SP-445, what I like, is you can use it in place of Polaroid. Take a changing bag, monobath developer, check your shots in the field. Once you have what you want take shots to bring home and process how you like.

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